One Year Later, Allyship Fades
Hi Friends!
Welcome to Issue 40 of this newsletter! This week’s topic is One Year Later, Allyship Fades. George Floyds murder in May of 2020 sparked a reemergence of the Black Lives Matter movement and amplified the call for allyship. Almost a year and a half later, allyship has significantly faded from both private citizens and public companies. Over $50 billion was pledged by companies and corporations to fight for racial justice, and today 0.05% has actually been donated or committed. ZERO POINT ZERO FIVE PERCENT. A recent study found that 20% of all of the protestors last year weren’t even in alignment with the demands of this movement or the fight for racial equality, but using them as an outlet for grievances about the pandemic and dissatisfaction with the government in general. It’s no wonder that the largest and most diverse civil rights movement in history has quietly and quickly faded into the background for many — but never for those of us who live or lives in marginalized bodies, unable to pretend. Let’s get into it.
Key Terms
Allyship: An active, consistent, and arduous practice of unlearning and re-evaluating, in which a person in a position of privilege and power seeks to operate in solidarity with a marginalized group.
Virtue Signaling: An attempt to show other people that you are a good person, for example by expressing opinions that will be acceptable to them, especially on social media.
Slacktivism: activity that uses the internet to support political or social causes in a way that does not need much effort, for example creating or signing online petitions.
Performative Allyship: Performative allyship is where those with privilege, profess solidarity with a cause. This assumed solidarity is usually vocalized, disingenuous and potentially harmful to marginalized groups. Often, the performative ally professes allegiance in order to distance themselves from potential scrutiny
Fair-Weather Supporters : Martin Luther King Jr wrote that fair weather supporters were nearly as bad as segregationists. "Shallow understanding from people of good will is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will," King wrote. "Lukewarm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection."
Let’s Get Into It
Allyship
In May and August of 2020, polls estimate between 15 million and 26 million Americans protested in cities, suburbs and small towns in all 50 states. The protests were the largest and broadest in U.S. history.
A combination of factors – from fatigue and frustration at the relatively slow pace of change to a growing backlash on the right against efforts to call out systemic racism and white privilege – has led to a decline in white support for the Black Lives Matter movement since last spring, when white support for social justice was at its peak.
About 20% of those who protested never supported the movement — and were, instead, expressing grievances related to the coronavirus pandemic and dissatisfaction with the government and inequality. When asked in this study, this group said their attendance was motivated by concerns like “justice for all,” “equal rights for all” or “all lives matter.” Some also mentioned a general discontent with the federal government or a desire to “protest against the government.”
These findings shared above, combined with rapid decreases in support for the movement during the past year, make it clear that there is a disconnect between participating in the movement through attending a protest or posting positively about it on social media, and actual support for the goals of the Black Lives Matter movement.
In June 2020, support for the Black Lives Matter movement was at 67%, including 6 in 10 whites overall and nearly 40% of Republicans, according to the Pew Research Center. Among Democrats, support for the movement soared to 92%, while Black support for the movement reached 88%. In September, support had dipped to 55% of adults.
Police violence is a “serious problem” in the U.S., 69% of respondents said, down from 79% reported right after the death of Floyd last year.
Companies & Corporations
In 2020, 60% of American respondents said brands needed to use their marketing dollars to advocate for racial equality. The same percentage also said they would buy or boycott a brand based on its response to the ongoing protests.
American companies pledged $50 billion toward racial equity following Floyd’s murder, according to a study by Creative Investment Research.
Only $250 million has actually been spent or committed to a specific initiative, according to an analysis by the consulting firm. That is 0.5%.
Some organizations always had a long term multi-year plan, while others have backpedaled and said they would reach that pledge eventually.
You can learn more about how individual companies have followed through here.
The overall decline of support for racial justice is devastating. Black Lives Matter is an organization, a cause, a slogan, a movement — but beneath it all is a timeless cry for equality, plea for humanity, demand for equity in a country built on the backs of marginalized humans in a world dominated by white supremacy. I see the interest in racial justice dwindling each and every day as companies offer to pay me less or refuse my questions on their commitment to equality. I see it across social media. I notice friends don’t ask me about the most recent case of police brutality and I wonder if they’ve even heard. I wonder if they care. I feel sad, but never defeated. We are the change we seek.
